A Daily Prophet Article, March 10 2020
by PoppedTheP
Summary: The headline dominated the front page of the Prophet: BRILLIANT YOUNG WIZARD FINDS CURE FOR LYCANTHROPY! AU Future, in which Remus and Tonks are still alive. Warning: Dangerous amounts of fluff and happy ending.


**A Daily Prophet Article, March 10 2020.**

Summary: The headline dominated the front page of the Prophet: _Brilliant Young Wizard Finds Cure For Lycanthropy!_ AU, in which Remus and Tonks are still alive. Warning: dangerous amounts of fluff and happy endings.

A/N: This is what I like to think Teddy would have done with his life whether they'd survived or not.

~JLM

* * *

Harry smiled to himself as he unfolded the Prophet that morning. He wasn't at all surprised, given how much he'd learned from Remus in just a short year with him as a teacher, that Teddy Lupin had grown up knowing more about pretty much everything than most adult wizards before he'd even _received_ his Hogwarts letter. That was why he'd never teased his Godson about being in Ravenclaw. And with the tenacity and full-hearted, optimistic determination he'd inherited from his mother, Harry knew if anyone could have done this, it was Teddy.

"Hey, that's Teddy! What's he doing in the paper, dad?" James' voice appeared over Harry's shoulder, alive with curiosity. His finger jabbed at the picture in the middle of the page.

Harry jumped slightly at James' sudden appearance, remembering for the third time that morning that the kids were home from Hogwarts for Easter.

"Have a look for yourself," Harry grinned.

He handed James the paper, heading off to send a congratulatory owl to the Lupins.

James gasped out loud as he read the headline. A feeling of even greater admiration for his hero and role model swept through him warmly and he read on eagerly,

* * *

_BRILLIANT YOUNG WIZARD FINDS **CURE **FOR LYCANTHROPY!_

_The Prophet is delighted reveal a new genius for our generation. Wizarding society will no longer be plagued with fear once a month. In the greatest development since the invention of Wolfsbane, a discovery that will change the wizarding world as we know it, young Trainee Healer Teddy Lupin has discovered the first recorded cure for the monthly affliction. _

_He developed the antidote while on an extended Gap Year from his training as a Healer at St Mungos' Dai Llewellyn Ward For Serious Bites. The young genius travelled extensively to obtain and perfect the combination of ingredients for the potion. The final stage of his work was completed with the aid of long-time assistant, Victoire Weasley, who joined him on his mission as soon as she finished her Hogwarts education. _

_The Prophet spoke exclusively to the young Lupin in a press conference held yesterday afternoon to announce the discovery. When asked what prompted him to begin his noble work, he replied: _

"_I've been working on it since I got my first cauldron. It was for my dad, really, but I'm glad it can help others like him. I created the cure as a surprise birthday present for my dad. It's his 60__th__ tomorrow, which will be today when this is published. So, Happy Birthday Dad!" _

"_My dad has been a werewolf since he was five years old, and he's one of the most brilliant wizards in the world—the __most__ brilliant if you ask me, but I'm biased of course!"_

_

* * *

_

In the large picture accompanying the article Teddy Lupin, surrounded by microphones, grinned and ducked his turquoise head shyly, with an endearingly soft self-assured smile. Tonks, reading the article open-mouthed from the arm of Remus' chair, felt her heart flutter at how like his father he looked.

* * *

"_Things improved a lot for dad after the Second War but lycanthropy was never easy. I remember on my seventh birthday we had to leave a 'family friendly' pub because they insisted he was dangerous. It made no sense; he was my dad, I knew he wasn't dangerous. I decided it wasn't right for such a brilliant wizard to have to endure things like that for reasons beyond his control and I wanted to do something about it. I've always known I'd find a way to cure it." _

"_The worst part of lycanthropy is the painful transformations. Werewolves go through them every month, even with the aid of Wolfsbane. Dad put on a brave face, we all did, but it took a lot out of him every month and kept my mum and me up on full moon nights worrying about him. I knew it must be the same for hundreds of others. It didn't sit right with me and I had to do something about it." _

"_I wanted it to be a surprise for dad, like I said. Every year the lycanthropy takes more of a toll on him, and I gave myself a deadline to find a cure before his 60th. My mum'll be pleased; she keeps saying if he gets any skinnier and paler she'll start force-feeding him whole hippogriffs."_

_The cure is administered in the form of a monthly injection. Young Lupin has been testing and refining the vaccination for over a year now and when safely administered by a trained Healer it has proven 100% effective in tests. _

_With generous support from the Albus Dumbledore Foundation, headed by Harry Potter himself, who issued a statement last night fully supporting Lupin's work, the Ministry is pleased to be able to offer the injection completely free to the first five hundred werewolves to sign up for treatment. There is hope that additional funding will increase this number in the future, as public support for the vaccine is expected to be unanimous. __Minister Shacklebolt will make a public announcement this week to bestow Lupin with an Order of Merlin, First Class and urge public donations to support the vaccination program; which would mean safer full moons for all of us._

___Lupin is the one of the youngest Wizards ever to receive an Order of Merlin, First Class, breaking his mother Auror Lupin's record by two years. She received hers at age twenty five, shortly after his birth, for services in the Second War. His Godfather, Harry Potter, remains the youngest Wizard to beat._

_When asked how on earth he managed to invent such a powerful and previously unimaginable potion, young genius Teddy Lupin exhibits a charming modesty, which seems to be his trademark. In this reporter's opinion, young witches should watch out for this one! One wonders if his devastatingly handsome looks are a result of being a Metamorphmagus or if they can be credited to the famed cheekbones of the Black Dynasty. His eyes have a mischievous twinkle, and despite a depth of knowledge that would intimidate scholars twice his age, young Lupin doesn't seem to take himself too seriously._

"_Oh it was very complicated. I'm a bit shocked I managed it." He answers with a knowing smile. We ask him to get serious and talk ingredients. "Well, I went to the moon actually, for the key ingredients." He responds, making light of the incredible feat. "And I'd like to publicly extend my thanks to Xenophilius Lovegood for his help in getting there. That's why it took so long to collect everything and work out how to use them. It just made sense to go to the moon—it's the root of the problem isn't it? I've never been one for messing around with things like that, I knew I had to get to the root of it." His frankness reminds this reporter distinctly of a well-known senior Auror who must be a very proud mother this morning._

_Young Lupin reveals his plans to publish a book in the near future expanding on his lunar findings, tentatively titled "The Magical Plants, Rocks, and Minerals of the Moon, And Suggested Practical Uses". A potential sequel "Lunar Beasts and Other Fantastical Stellar Creatures" is already being discussed. For now, the book will be his first, following in the auspicious footsteps of father Remus Lupin, a prolific author whose widely read and praised textbooks on defensive spells and dark creatures spanning over twenty years were republished without their Nom De Plume when the policy on authorship and publication by Dark Creatures was revised in Minister Shacklebolt's Publishing Act of 2001._

_What next for the younger Lupin? "After the book is published, I'm looking forward to finishing my Healer training." St Mungo's couldn't be happier to have the young genius on staff and are already hinting at a Head of Department position opening up on completion of his training. _

"_I've wanted to be a Healer for as long as I can remember" says Lupin, who often lapses into a gravity that belies his young age, "I spent a lot of time around them growing up, between dad's lycanthropy and mum's…clums…er…job. They always seemed like heroes to me. They could do the only thing my parents—who could do pretty much anything else—couldn't do for themselves; they made them better. I decided I'd like to be able to do that."_

_"One morning after a full moon, my mum couldn't fix my dad's shattered spine because she'd gotten her own snapped in a run-in with a troll while on duty and couldn't get out of St Mungo's. So I had a go at it myself. My dad said he trusted me to do it—which we both laugh at when we talk about it now, because I was nine at the time—but I gave it a go and I did it. It felt great to be able to do something to help. And that was when I knew I wanted to be able to help and fix people. My grandma was a Healer, actually, before she retired. It was her who got me started in the Healer training program."_

_Lupin is speaking, of course, of Andromeda Tonks, who will be greatly missed on the Spell Damage ward, where she managed to undo much of the work of her late older sister Bellatrix Lestrange (Black) after the Second War._

_Young, handsome, brilliant and modest, the soon-to-be Doctor Lupin must have ladies falling at his feet. Unfortunately for the ladies, there's a woman they'll have to get past first: his rather fiery research assistant, Miss Victoire Weasley. She joined Lupin at yesterday afternoon's press conference to explain how the vaccine's key potion can also be used to treat werewolf-inflicted injuries. _

"_You can apply it to werewolf wounds," she says, her dialect a beguiling mix of hearty Cornish with just a trace of French, "and they will heal as though they were normal gashes. The antidote neutralizes the werewolf aspect of the injury." _

_St. Mungo's is already stocking up, and Harry Potter added in last night's statement that he will personally oversee efforts by the Albus Dumbledore Foundation to make the potion available for personal use on werewolf-inflicted wounds as quickly and cheaply as possible. While the priority is making it available to full werewolves, these significant benefits cannot be overlooked._

_When asked what prompted her involvement in Lupin's research, Miss Weasley had this to say: _

"_Teddy and I have always shared an interest in the subject." She responds, and this reporter can't help noticing how effortlessly beautiful she looks even in her simple white overcoat. "Both our dads have been affected by werewolves and are two of the bravest men we know. We wanted to do something to help them, of course, because they're our dads. And they inspired us, too, to help others like them. It wasn't a decision, really. No one should live with these hardships." __Miss Weasley speaks with a grace and poise admirable for one so young. Her passion shines in her eyes as she speaks._

_"It was something we always knew we were meant to do. There's always been that unstoppable feeling between us, Teddy and I." Miss Weasley's delicate smile at this comment leaves this reporter wondering if there isn't more to the story between the young genius and his assistant than meets the eye._

_A full report on the vaccine and its anticipated effect on Wizarding society, as well as information on where interested werewolves can sign up for treatment continues on page 5._

_

* * *

_

Remus' hands shook as he lowered the paper. He released the breath he'd been holding since Teddy handed it to him with an excited, "Happy Birthday, Dad."

Tears quivered in his eyes. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came.

"Oh Teddy," Dora breathed at Remus' shoulder. A splash of a tear fell past his shoulder and smudged the first few words of the article.

As if she was giving him permission, a few of Remus' own broke and quickly joined it.

"Oh, my…" he could hear the heavy huskiness in his own voice. He tried to form the words to say something to his unthinkably brilliant son, but no words would come.

"Son…" he just about breathed. But how could he possibly begin to express his gratitude and wonder at what his brilliant, brilliant child had done for him?

"Teddy…" he shook his head, dispelling the disbelief that he was about to wake up at any moment.

A handful of balloons drifted out of Dora's hand without her noticing them as she unclasped her grip to squeeze Remus' shoulder, shifting closer to him on the arm of the chair. Remus suspected she was slightly more capable of forming words than he was, but he knew she'd wait for him to have the chance to say it first.

He hadn't thought it was possible for Dora to look more adoringly at Teddy than she'd done the first day he was born but the look she was giving her son now would have melted him on the spot if the warmth of love were tangible. And at the same time, her eyes were wide, like she'd never seen him before.

"Er, what do you think, dad?" Teddy asked nervously. "Mum?"

He'd meant to make his parents happy, not send them into severe shock.

Victoire's cool hand squeezed his soothingly. She was watching her own dad for his reaction, biting a freckled lip and twirling a strand of blonde hair so tight she almost pulled it out. Teddy wondered belatedly if it might have been a bad idea to gather their families together on his dad's birthday and announce it this way.

He scratched the back of his neck subconsciously with his free hand, a nervous Lupin habit he shared with his dad. The intense looks he was getting from the parents meant they were either very pleased or he was in a lot of trouble, but no one had said anything yet and his dad just took shaky breaths, looking at Teddy like he was a hallucination, so he tried again,

"I know I only got you socks for your birthday last year, dad, so I thought this'd just about make up for it…"

The Prophet fell to the floor as Remus stood abruptly and pulled Teddy into the tightest hug he'd ever received from his father. Teddy could feel his dad's whole body trembling and felt his voice murmur into the top of his hair,

"I have always been incredibly proud of you, son," Remus' voice was choked with emotion, "But this…" He stopped, swallowed deeply and tried again. Teddy felt the swallow through his skin and wondered if anyone had ever been held as tightly as his dad was currently holding him. It was almost painful.

"This is…how can I ever express what this...How deeply touched..." He swallowed heavily again, drawing back to look Teddy in the eye. When he spoke each word shook, meticulously chosen and forced out through a barrier of emotion,

"Thank you, Teddy. I am so proud of you, son. I've never been prouder of anything in my life."

Teddy heard his mum sob behind them, and his dad held him reverently by the shoulders, "Look at this man we created, Dora."

Teddy's heart soared with pride and he joined his dad in smiling at his mum, who had gripped Fleur's hand, and they were both smiling too, through very mum-like tears.

"Why did you feel it had to be secret?" Remus turned back, with a frown. His voice still shaky, but increasingly able to complete sentences.

Teddy had been expecting that to trouble him. As an only child, he'd been very close to his parents and had shared everything with them. They were his best friends. Even as he grew and went off to Hogwarts, they made a point of telling him there was never anything he couldn't talk about with them.

Teddy half-chuckled, though he had heard the strain in his dad's voice, the deep confusion that his son would keep something so enormous from him.

"I really did want it to be a surprise for you," he answered truthfully.

"Well, it certainly is that," Remus exhaled heavily, his lips twitching almost into a smile.

He waited patiently for Teddy to explain, and Teddy was reminded of times he'd been caught up to something mischievous with Victoire and given a half-hearted telling off when his dad really seemed quite pleased.

"Honestly, dad, I thought you'd try and talk me out of it if I told you." Teddy met Remus' eyes sheepishly, but firm in his answer: it was the truth.

To his delight, his dad saw the funny side of that and laughed, shaking his head to himself.

"So much like your mother," he turned to Dora, giving her a tender look.

She had tears in her eyes and such a loving smile for Teddy and Remus that contrasted quite funnily with the paper cone of a birthday hat she was wearing.

Tonks took this moment as her invitation to bound over and join the father-son hug. Teddy and Remus steadied her with a hand on each of her arms she tripped on the edge of the rug, grabbing them both wildly for support.

Teddy found himself being squeezed even tighter for a long time and felt hot tears in his hair that could have belonged to either parent. Teddy had to bend a little to make the hug work because he was almost as tall as his dad now and a lot taller than his mum. Though he was old enough to be a man himself now, it still felt wonderful to be hugged so completely by his mum and dad. They were the best parents in the world and he was so pleased he'd been able to do something that meant so much to them.

"What a lucky old werewolf I am," his dad mumbled into the crown of his head.

When Teddy looked up, his dad's eyes were bright and full of tears. His expression was dazed, like he was not quite convinced he wasn't dreaming. Teddy suspected it wouldn't be until next month, when he could look at the moon in human form, that he would fully believe and accept the news. He knew well how hard his dad found it coming to terms with good news; his mum made fun of it often enough.

Although it was a bit disgusting to see his parents kiss, Teddy couldn't help but be happy to see his dad gratefully accepting a kiss from his mum, the wonder still in his eyes. He drew the line though when after kissing his dad she turned the love on him, ruffling his hair and kissing his face all over cooing, "My brilliant, brilliant boys!"

"Mum! Gerroff!" he laughed as she pulled him into another crushing three person hug with his dad.

He looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes with a grin at Vicky, who was enduring a similar Emotional Family Moment. Her dad had picked her and her mum up under one arm each and was spinning them around, whooping with joy. Her mum looked achingly beautiful as usual, even with cascades of proud tears running down her face.

No one ever looked as beautiful as Vicky though. She caught his eye and returned his huge grin, her eyes shining that bright sparkle that he couldn't look away from.

Curing lycanthropy had gone much better than expected, springing it on their parents was going well too and Teddy thought the rest of Healer training would be a breeze.

Now the only big challenge left was how to propose…

.

.

* * *

A/N: There was another version of this in my head where Remus knew all along and helped him, trying out test versions of the potion and assisting with his research. And Tonks told them to be careful. And it was all very cute. But this was the version I wrote.


End file.
